What’s with this place ? Beach Haven, N.J. It hadn’t even rained yesterday or today but last night the streets were a bit water bound. Supertide, the natives were calling it, the effects of a distant tropical storm on the tides. It sounds plausible to me, but what do I know?

Spartans that we all are, our plan was to go to dinner. The five in our intrepid party, despite rivulets in the streets, piled into our Silverado 2500 Pick-up and ventured to the restaurant where our reservation awaited.

Hmm. Maybe this water was a bit more serious than we had perceived. Some of the streets didn’t just have some water ; they were rivers !

Many shops were dark, closed due to conditions.

Our reservation proved to be moot. The place was about to close upon our arrival. Strike one.

One of us made a lucid suggestion. Rather than hunting down another restaurant, maybe we should head back to our rental unit, eat leftovers and hunker down for the night.

Water in the streets was getting deeper and flowing rapidly. I guessed it to be nearly a foot deep in spots. Fortunately the truck is well elevated.

Still in a jovial mood, I intoned a little Johnny Cash.

“How high’s the water, Momma ?”

At length, we anchored at another restaurant and waded in. Yes, they would have us. Our dinners were all excellent, albeit with soggy feet. We even stumbled upon a Hunterdon County pal who has a place here.

Now stuffed and a little cocktail toasted, we emerged from dinner and immediately perceived added depth to the water, now flowing briskly down most streets. It was definitely time to get home !

We proceeded at a necessarily slower pace. Strike two.

“She said it’s two feet high and risin”, I continued to intone.

Driving in water like this is unnerving. Is one always sure what they’re driving over ?

My buddy, Niles, was driving. He was unflappable.

Alas, we finally made it back. It required a monumental effort to move from the truck, to the wheelchair, to the stairs, and to the door and into the house, all without re-drenching my feet.

Was this just another Friday night in Beach Haven? That would be understated !